More Americans hungry

Almost 15% of US households experienced a food shortage at some point in 2009, a government report has found.

US authorities say that figure is the highest they have seen since they began collecting data in the 1990s.

Single mothers are among the hardest hit: About 3.5 million said they were at times unable to put sufficient food on the table. Hispanics and African Americans also suffer disproportionately.

1 out of 5 children in the Unites States alone is living under poor conditions. That’s 15.5 million children. Philadelphia’s Children’s Hospital followed that up with a study showing that being exposed to poverty, even for just a short while, can create some health issues down the line. The study showed that 21% of households can’t provide proper food for their children and their bodies’ needs are affected. The housing situation also plays a major part, as not having the suitable housing environment can cause health issues like depression, behavioral problems and even heart diseases.

"We had counties in the United States where 70 percent of all children in that county were receiving food stamps. It's shocking to me that we are at those numbers," Dr. David Rubin a co-senior author of the study, who's also director of the PolicyLab at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia.